Macbeth Quotation Analysis Flashcards
“Come you spirits… unsex me here”
Theme: supernatural
Lady Macbeth is invoking the power of the supernatural. She needs to be unsexed because she lives in a patriarchal society where women are denied power Shakespeare demonstrates - through Lady Macbeth and the witches - how women that are prevented from having power and authority are forced to turn to evil or supernatural help.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair”
Theme: supernatural
Life has no meaning and no purpose. This causes Macbeth to question the theme of Christianity and the great chain of being. This asks why we shouldn’t pursue our ambitions no matter where they lead us. The witches were able to destroy Macbeth simply by showing him the future. They can’t force him to do anything as women are powerless in a patriarchal society. Perhaps Shakespeare is expressing his disgust at the attitudes towards women through the use of fricative alliteration, or perhaps he wants the audience to feel disgusted about the witches actions as they symbolise satanic evil.
“Something wicked this way comes”
Theme: supernatural
It is not the witches who are wicked here, but Macbeth who is the supernatural evil that the witches can sense. By transgressing in his society through regicide, he perhaps has a supernatural power that allows him to kill anyone that he sees. Through this, Macbeth has sealed his own fate because he likely would have kept the crown if he had not killed Macduff’s family. Macduff’s came back for revenge in the last act. Macbeth’s hubris (fatal flaw) has led to his downfall.
“Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, and put a barren sceptre in my gripe”
Theme: supernatural
In this metaphor, Macbeth notes that the witches handed him a sceptre by prophesying that he would become king. But the sceptre is barren, or infertile, because they also predicted that he will not have male heirs, and thus the sceptre and the kingship will pass to an unrelated person.
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”
Theme: ambition
Macbeth is expressing his guilt. He is being punished not only for his ambition to kill the King, but also for his challenge against God. He uses a pagan roman god Neptune in the metaphor, illustrating how he is clearly rejecting the Christian God. The sin of a tragic hero in Greek theatre is hubris - excessive pride - and often happens against the Gods. Macbeth is suffering from pride where he rejects the Christian god in front of a Christian audience, who will be against him, which links to James I. Shakespeare is telling the king that this is a sin that will be punished by God.
“I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself”
Theme: ambition
A horse rider may overestimate their ability when trying to clear an obstacle and consequently fall down. Macbeth admitting this foreshadows his tragic downfall.
“Fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty!”
Theme: ambition
She refers to her head as ‘crown’ which illustrates how incredibly ambitious she is; you would normally fill something from the bottom to the top, but becoming queen is such a priority that the crown comes first - ‘from crown to toe’.
“I am in blood Stepped in so far that… Returning were as tedious as go o’er.”
Theme: ambition
Macbeth says this when he decides to keep killing, which he has no reason for, as he is already king. James I - Patronage - the gunpowder plot had recently happened, so Shakespeare is warning the King not to become a violent king and take revenge. He wants to keep a peaceful society, and this play is being performed at court in front of King James, so he is sending a direct message to King James. The metaphor of stepping into a river of blood conveys his bloodlust, which may be driven by his ambition and fear about someone else acquiring the throne when he dies. Shakespeare wants to show King James how to behave as king, avoiding the damaging revenge that could have occurred after the gunpowder plot.
“Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it”
Theme: ambition
Christian imagery symbolises the serpent which persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Consequently, LM is directly linked to the idea of hell and the punishment she deserves. It also suggests that Macbeth is being tempted to kill King Duncan by his wife.
An alternative interpretation of this quote would look at Macbeth’s inmost desire to kill King Duncan, and blame the ambition that drives him. Because in a tragedy it is always the hero’s hubris (arrogance) that leads to their downfall. So ultimately the final responsibility has to be Macbeth’s not his wife.
“O full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife”
Theme: ambition
Scorpions are incredibly violent animals. This suggests that Macbeth’s ambition and thoughts does not only lead to the killing of other people, but the killing of himself. His identity has been ripped apart by committing the act of regicide. He is no longer the man who was ‘too full of the milk of human kindness.’ Instead, his mind is full of scorpions - he is losing his mind. This is mirrored in the punishment that Lady Macbeth receives where she also becomes sanity - ‘out dammed spot’ - and eventually commits suicide.
However, he is still in love with his wife (he calls her ‘dear wife’). This links to his earlier words ‘dearest partner in greatness.’ He is not telling her about his plans to kill Banquo (‘be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck’) as he wants to protect his wife from the mental damage that he is undergoing. Therefore, this links to the divine right of kings, and Shakespeare is warning the audience the dangers of committing regicide, as they believed that it was a direct sin to God punishable by death.
“Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it”
Theme: Gender
Shakespeare emphasises how LM challenges the patriarchy. She asks her husband to be feminine - to look like a flower, a feminine image. Perhaps Shakespeare is suggesting if male and female roles were more equal this kind of lust for power wouldn’t occur. Alternatively, he is demonising LM in order to punish her for breaking society’s patriarchal rules.
“Fill me from head to toe top fuel with direst cruelty”
Theme: Gender
The fact that she needs to be full of ‘direst cruelty’ reflects the societal expectation that the most powerful men need to be cruel and bloodthirsty (such as soldiers) to succeed. Therefore, this could be Shakespeare attacking the patriarchal society about their beliefs of what makes a man.
“There’s daggers in men’s smiles”
Theme: Gender
This links to the idea of appearance vs reality. The word “men” suggests this is an attack against patriarchal society and suggests men are the people at fault. Men have caused the evils in society and women are reacting to their powerless state by turning towards alternative means such as the supernatural or towards her husband. Shakespeare is also asking what causes men to become so evil and the answer is it is a martial society built on killing where men who kill are successful. They have to kill in order to advance their status in society - such as through the army - which is likely how Macbeth became the Thane of Cawdor.
“I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself”
Theme: Gender
Lady Macbeth is the metaphorical rider that is going to prick Macbeth’s sides and urge him to kill Duncan. She is taking control and has power in the relationship, which is highly unusual in a patriarchal society.
“I dare do all that may become a man; / Who dares do more is none”
Theme: Gender
The repetition of the verb “dare” shows how Shakespeare is showing off Macbeth’s hubris (arrogance), as he is showing off how confident he is. This links to the patriarchal discussion Shakespeare is having. Macbeth has the opportunity to dare - challenge - things as a man, whereas LM isn’t allowed by society. So once again Shakespeare is playing with his audience’s expectations and asking about the role of women in society, whether it’s fair.
